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October 01, 2008 - 03:34 PM
Pastor Martha
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Sept. 24 -- Is. 11-12
We skipped Is. 10, noting simply that although Assyria was God's tool to punish Israel for disobedience, it is not then superior to Israel and will in turn be judged, for the same shortcomings. We also noted how the end of ch. 10 leads into the beginning of ch. 11: the forests will be hacked down, but a shoot will come forth from the stump!
The words are familiar and comforting. What a magnificent vision of how things will be when God's promised kingdom arrives! But notice -- not only will enemies be reconciled, our basic nature will be changed. The lion will eat straw! But for those who have been brutalized by their enemies, the thought of dwelling close to them is not exactly comforting. Tell the truth, if you were a lamb, would you want to live with a wolf?
God's kingdom is about healing and transforming. We can't jump into peace without acknowledging the wounds of war, and our role in causing them. Then God's grace can gather the broken pieces of our souls ("the remnant that is left of his people" - v. 16) and make a way to bring his children home. What better response can we make than to give thanks?
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September 26, 2008 - 04:19 AM
Moe
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My irrelevant thoughts: Herein shows a martial God, full of wrath. But then, He always seems to have a master plan for peace and prosperity, that no one can figure out. Today, I had a grasshopper guest on my sideview mirror while I was driving to work. It moved to the lee side and held on for dear life as I sped on the highway. Feeling concern for it, I opened my window and cupped my hand to catch it so I could move it to safety inside my car. Instead, it escaped my hand and jumped to its death. "Stupid bug," I said to myself. Somehow, this must be how God feels. We are the grasshopper and our small minds only see the impending "attack" by a huge object (the hand), not realizing that the hand is there to save. It is difficult to grasp the "bigger" picture or God's infinite wisdom.
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September 18, 2008 - 07:08 PM
Pastor Martha
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Sept. 17, 2008 -- Is. 9
Looking at the end of ch. 8, the unawareness of the presence of God is referred to as darkness. Naming a child is a symbolic act that reflects the parents' vision of the future. Although all around us may be devastation (vv. 18-21), God is still in control. Humans and armies are used as instruments of God to punish the wicked, but where "bricks have fallen, we will build with dressed stones." Something better is coming!
God was angry with Israel because of the injustice in their society, especially economic injustice, and because they were ignoring God and God's law. When they were frightened, they turned to leaders and prophets who promised them comfort without repentance. This message was popular because it made them feel good, but it did not lessen their misery. As aresult, God is sending armies to destroy their society so that a new society might be built with justice and righteousness as its foundation.
Questions: Where do you hear messages of false hope and false peace?
Is it worse never to know God or to ignore God?
Where do you see darkness and injustice today?
What would you name your child to show your vision of the future?
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August 14, 2008 - 05:42 PM
andrea douglas
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Hi Martha! It was great to be with you last eve. God is so good to draw His kids together as He does. - -a blessing for each of us. I forgot to mention that we're heading to Montauk today for the weekend with our son and his wife. see you the following Sunday
Love
A xoxo
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August 07, 2008 - 04:00 PM
Pastor Martha
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Part 4
At this point, we noted a Renovaré question: “Consider what your life would be like if there were no market for your job skills.” After quite a bit of discussion, we focused on two meanings for the question. 1) Consider what your life would be like if you could no longer sell what God has freely given you, if you could use it only for the greater glory of God. This would force us to consider what God wants of us rather than our own benefit or profit. 2) Consider what your life would be like if society did not want your God-given abilities. This is a judgment on a society that pays film stars and sports heroes millions of dollars while failing to provide a decent living for kindergarten teachers. Our task as Christians is to work for the re-ordering of our society so that everyone’s calling can be honored and used in creating a community of justice and righteousness.
What do you think? Where do you see manipulative religion? Where do you see God being honored? What principles and ideals are being degraded in the world around us? What will be burnt away, and what will be re-valued? How can you use your God-given abilities for the greater glory of God? What other ideas do you have about this passage?
Join us next Wednesday at 6:30 in the church office. There is nothing that can deepen your faith so much as getting well into the Word in the company of Christians!
The Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible was published in 2005 by HarperSanFrancisco, a division of HarperCollinsPublishers. The General Editor is Richard J. Foster; the Introduction and Notes to the book of Isaiah were written by Walter Brueggemann. Renovaré is an intrachurch movement committed to the renewal of the church of Jesus Christ in all its multifaceted manifestations. Founded by Richard J. Foster (best known for Celebration of Discipline), Renovaré is Christian in commitment, international in scope, and ecumenical in breadth. For more information about Renovaré and their u...
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August 07, 2008 - 03:46 PM
Pastor Martha
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Part 3
In verses 21-23, the image is of something very good that has been distorted or perverted. The city that was known for justice and righteousness was corrupted by bribes (easy money? love of comfort and “the good life”?) so that its principles have deteriorated and its ideals are disintegrating. If we do not talk about, discuss and defend what we believe in, then we can easily be tempted by the convenient compromise. Eventually our beliefs are eroded and we have nothing left to stand on.
Verses 24-26 promise that through the painful process of smelting (burning away the impurities) and acid-washing, God will restore the city (and us) to our former purity. A footnote reads, “This simple ‘afterward’ bespeaks profound prophetic faith and invites us to ponder the ways in which God may cause an end to things we cherish or newness when we thought no newness was possible.” If we want to be cleansed by God, then we don’t get to choose what God will consider worth keeping or throwing away. What is precious in our sight may be so much dirt to God, and what we see as worthless may be of immense divine value, like the sparrows or the hairs that fall from our heads.
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August 07, 2008 - 03:41 PM
Pastor Martha
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Oops, space is limited. This is Part 2.
We took particular note of verses 10-17. The people to whom Isaiah was speaking saw themselves a good people who went to the synagogue and took part in the service and the sacrifices. They expected God’s favor, a reward in return for their faithfulness. The prophet tells them that because they have neglected the requirements of simple justice, they have not worshipped or honored God at all, and God will not listen to their prayers. Not easy for regular church-goers to hear! What God wants from us is to take care of the weakest members of our society (the oppressed, the widow, and the orphan). In the Old Testament, a community is judged by the way in which it treats its weakest and most vulnerable members. In other words, it doesn’t matter what we have done for the church, if we have done it in a manipulative, tit-for-tat bargain for God’s favor, then God doesn’t want to know us.
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August 07, 2008 - 03:15 PM
Pastor Martha
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Our new Bible Study group met for the first time last night, and we selected the book of Isaiah as our focus. We are using the Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible as our basic resource for back-ground information, and we are trying to let the text speak to us and through us as much as possible.
We reviewed the introduction, and we noted the importance of Jerusalem as a ritual center (the home of the temple), a political center (the capital of the nation), and an urban center (with all the problems and possibilities of city life). Walter Brueggemann’s introduction in our study Bible notes, “Our reading of Isaiah focuses upon the relationship between the theological reality of Jerusalem and the political reality of Jerusalem, a relationship that is not always clear-cut. That is to say, the prophetic tradition works to interpret in imaginative, poetic ways the reality of urban life with reference to the God of Israel, who is known in the memory of Israel long before Isaiah. Isaiah invites us to study the interrelation of life and faith, a relationship that is for us never as easy or obvious as we may imagine.”
The first part of Isaiah was probably written after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in the sixth century BCE. The people have taken to Babylon as captive and forced to work as slaves. They are looking back at the life they had before and trying to figure out what happened.
Read Isaiah, chapter 1 in your own Bible. A summary of our discussion follows. Participants – where my memory is faulty, please correct it! Bloggers – please add your own observations, thoughts and questions. Discussion is good for the soul!
We took particular note of verses 10-17. The people to whom Isaiah was speaking saw themselves a good people who went to the synagogue and took part in the service and the sacrifices. They expected God’s favor, a reward in return for their faithfulness. The prophet tells them that because they have neglected the requirements of si...
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August 04, 2008 - 02:25 AM
Moses
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Ok. Now that we know it's working, let the blogs begin!
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